Epiphone Les Paul-100 Electric Guitar

I have owned a very cheap acoustic guitar for several years and have spent many happy hours slaughtering Metallica's simpler songs and the intros to a few other heavy metal songs. Eventually, I became frustrated at the inability to sound really heavy with an acoustic and decided I needed an electric.

Since I consider myself a savvy consumer, I researched guitars for a few months before deciding what to look for. Since I am not a skilled guitarist and am a college student (or at least was at the time of purchase) I wanted to stay around $200, which would be cheap enough to leave me with some extra cash but enough to keep my choice out of the true bottom of the barrel. I had decided to look at the BC Rich Warlock, the Jackson Dinky and the cheaper ESPs. The store I went to, which had the largest selection in my area, only had the Warlock however, I while it was fun to play, it sounded very thin and weak to me. The extremely helpful salesperson (who listened to power metal and we talked about Dream Evil) recommended the Epiphone Les Paul 100, and when I plucked a power chord, I knew I had to have it. It felt and sounded much heavier than the Warlock (aurally and physically).

In the year that I have had this guitar, I have also had the chance to play it's big brother, the Les Paul studio, and some cheaper guitars too. While the difference between the $200 model and the $600 model is obvious, there is a much larger discrepancy between my guitar and the cheap Wal-Mart and player pack guitars. The Les Paul 100 still retains a very solid, well-built feel with higher quality components than the really cheap guitars and I feel this makes a distinct difference. It is much easier to play, stays in tune better and sounds better. In my opinion, the extra hundred dollars or so spent on buying a name brand versus a generic Telecaster knock-off is worth it.

Of course, compared to the more expensive guitars, even the still-considered-cheap $600 models, the LP 100 shows its blemishes, as the electronics are more finicky, the fretboard isn't as smooth and level, there is more fret buzz and the tuners aren't as solid. I have had some issues with the pickup selector switch, the cable jack, and the volume knobs. All are easy to fix though if you have no qualms about taking a screwdriver to the back of the axe, but the more expensive guitars are usually devoid of such quality issues. I also chipped the nut by installing some Zakk Wylde Boomer strings that were too thick for the grooves but I have not noticed any playability issues arising from that accident.

As a whole, this guitar is very good for someone who wants to pick up a cheap electric guitar and learn how to play. It is of high enough quality that playing it is fun, and cheap enough that it's not a really major purchase. There are some quality issues concerning the electronics, hardware and build quality, but those are found on any cheap guitar and this one feels much more sturdy than others in the price range. It is quite heavy and my back and shoulders can feel it when I've been playing for a while but given the choice between this guitar, a cheap Warlock and a Peavey, I would choose this in a heartbeat.